This morning’s protest started at 11 a.m. in the middle of the quad, just a group of students chanting and spreading awareness about the VAWA grant. It became a 40-person barrage on the Office of Campus Life to confront Gail Hanson, VP of Campus Life. Once the crowd had grown, Junior Melinda Fielder asked them to join her in a visit to Hanson’s office to tell her to sign the grant that would provide $300,000 for education on sexual assault and resources for survivors.

“Well, we’re going to make this as easy as possible for Gail Hanson today,” Fielder said. “We have pens with us if that’s what she needs. We want you all to come with us now.”

The protesters marched around the quad, and chanted as they stormed into MGC on their way to Hanson’s office. Hanson firmly stood by her resolve to not sign the VAWA grant proposal.

Her decision to withhold her signature keeps it from reaching those higher in the administration, but Hanson says those administrators, such as Neil Kerwin, have the same concerns as she.

According to Tea Sefer, a freshman involved with organizing the protest, the group trying to get the grant pushed through has tried to contact Kerwin to no avail.

The administration says it has concerns with the VAWA grant, especially with making sexual assault education mandatory for all new students. The administration is also unsure whether it can follow through with the requirements that would come with being awarded the federal grant.

Seniors Quinn Pregliasco and and Leigh Ellis, who worked on the grant for several months, have both expressed confusion at Hanson’s decision not to sign off on the grant, saying Hanson never brought up concerns during their meeting in October or after they sent her the grant proposal in February. According to them, she never expressed concern about mandatory education. The Eagle reported that Hanson said she expressed her concerns during these meetings and told the group on Friday, six days before the application was due, that the section on mandatory education and the possible stops on student accounts bothered her.

Many have brought up that a library fine can put a stop on your account, begging the question: are library fees more important than reducing sexual assault on campus?

Knowing that Hanson might not sign the grant proposal, the protestors revealed another document entitled “Collaborative Action for a Safer Campus,” which outlines five goals taken directly from the VAWA grant. Upon being asked to sign the document, Hanson refused, telling students that they already had her word. After Nicole Wisler, a sophomore who helped organize the protest, explained that Hanson had already read and committed to the goals outlined in the document, Hanson suggested they leave it with her to look over.

Wisler then asked when the protestors could expect to have the document signed. Hanson replied that she did not know and may not even sign it. Shortly after, the group decided to hold a sit-in in the office and wait for her until she did.

Hanson left and returned later after having read the document. She made edits so it no longer, in her words, “looks like a treaty,” and only committed to the bottom fourth of the document.

“What I can commit to you is that I understand what you think is essential and we will try to work things into a plan,” Hanson said. “The Campus Life staff is committed to working on a comprehensive plan that we will follow, and I think the grant program element provides an excellent road map, and I’m committed to meeting with you early in the fall.”

She said that her signature applied to those two commitments and could not promise to deliver on the more specific goals outlined in the rest of the document. With the amendments, Hanson’s agreement currently reads: “Campus Life staff will collaborate with students to complete a comprehensive plan of action and participate in an open forum to discuss the plan of action with the student body. This open forum will occur early in Fall 2011 by Oct. 15 if possible.”

The agreement is disheartening at best. Don’t we already have a solid outline for a comprehensive plan of action—the VAWA grant application? Wasn’t that collaborated on by a number of students, faculty, staff, and even organizations in D.C.? Of course, adjustments would have to be made considering the university would not be providing the $300,000 the VAWA grant would, but if a solid, well-thought-out plan already exists, why can’t the conversation start now?

Special thanks to Ethan Miller for his video coverage.